35 knots from the SSW and a wet exit from Gulf Harbour — Matariki III slips lines for Fiordland.
The forecast said 35 knots from the SSW. Perfect weather for Matariki III to eat up the miles in the first 24 hours of the passage.
We slipped lines from Gulf Harbour at 7pm. Large breaking waves met us at the marina entrance, the bow punching through and sending sheets of cold water across the deck. Everyone got a thorough soaking before we'd even cleared the channel markers. A baptism of sorts — Matariki III reminding us that she's an ocean boat, and we were heading to ocean places.
Once into the Tiri Channel the motion settled. We raised the main and headed NE into the Hauraki Gulf, setting us up for the right angle of sail up the coast for the night passage north. The lights of Auckland faded astern — that familiar orange glow that means home, growing smaller with each passing mile.
Off Tiritiri Matangi we gybed and set our course: outside Flat Rock, inside Sail Rock at the Hen and Chickens. The classic inshore route up the Northland coast, threading between the islands and the mainland in waters we know well.
The wind settled into a steady 15-20 knots from the south, slowly becoming more west as we sailed north. Perfect reaching conditions. Matariki III found her groove — 8 to 10 knots over the ground, the autopilot doing the work, the crew settling into night watches.
There's something about that first night at sea. The routines kick in. Watch handovers every four hours. Tea and biscuits in the cockpit. The phosphorescence in the wake. The stars appearing one by one as the city lights fall below the horizon.
All hands in high spirits, though the wind has a cold bite to it. That depression off the east coast is pulling polar air up from the south — a reminder that autumn is coming, and we're heading into it. Hot drinks when you come off watch. The small comforts that make night passages bearable.
By 2am we were abeam of the Hen and Chickens. Ahead of us: Whangarei, the Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga, and then the long run down the west coast to Fiordland.
But that's all to come. For now, it's enough to be moving. The boat is happy. The crew is happy. The adventure has begun.